"STRIVE to enter by the Narrow Gate" (Lk. 13:24) “the gate not used by souls whose twisted love attempts to make the crooked way seem straight.” (Purgatorio, 10.1-3)

Monday, December 15, 2014

Gaudete Sunday!

It's
taken a lot of learning, and I'm still really bad at it sometimes, but
over time I have learned to trust more and more in the Lord, seeking
the peace which Christ wants for us. For it is Christ who, even when we
are sailing on rough seas, bids us "habete fiduciam ego sum nolite timere" (Matt 14:27). Nolite timere, be not afraid. The Lord tells us we must habete fiduciam, have faith, because ego sum, I am - He is.

Thus, we need not fear, no matter what troubles assail us, for He has promised us His presence - "lo, I am with you always even unto the end of the world" (Matt 28:20). For, "if God be for (us), who can be against (us)?" (Rom 9:31). With Christ by our side we need not fear the world. We need "fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul" (Matt 10:28). We need not concern ourselves with those trails and tribulations which plague this life. No matter how bad things may get, no matter how dark things may seem, yes even if we should find ourselves walking through the "valley of the shadow of death" (Ps 23:4) we know to still nolite timere as He is there with us crying out "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani - My God, My God why hast thou forsaken me." (Matt 27:46).

No, instead, we take up the challenge of Saint Paul, "gaudete in Domino semper" - rejoice in the Lord always (Phil 4:4). Rejoice. Always. Even when times are tough we are to Rejoice! Why? How? Because He is Risen! (Matt 28:6). What more cause of rejoicing do we need?But we also are challenged another way by St. Paul, "gaudete in Domino semper" - rejoice in the Lord always. In the Lord. Even when times are good and we lose ourselves in our riches and the comforts of this world, we are to rejoice in the Lord. He is to be our center. In good times and bad. When we feel close to him and when we feel distant. Semper. Always.

These things we need to keep in mind today, Gaudete Sunday, Rejoice Sunday, and not just this Sunday, but throughout the Christmas season - indeed, throughout the year.

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The use of "he" as an inclusive generic pronoun on this blog:

"The use of the traditional inclusive generic pronoun "he" is a decision of language, not gender justice... I believe in the equal intelligence and value of women, but not in the intelligence or value of "political correctness," linguistic ugliness, grammatical inaccuracy, conceptual confusion, or dehumanizing pronouns."- Dr. Peter Kreeft, Socratic Logic

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"I am one of those people who are glad to have their own mistakes pointed out and glad to point out the mistakes of others, but who would just as soon have the first experience as the second; in fact I consider the first a greater gain, inasmuch as it is better to be relieved of very bad trouble oneself than to relieve another, and in my opinion no worse trouble can befall a man that to have a false belief about the subjects which we are now discussing. So, if you are of the same mind let us go on with the conversations but if you think that we ought to abandon it let us drop it at once and bring the argument to an end."

- Socrates, in Plato's Gorgias

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